Well, here we are...our final day of the summer math challenge! I hope you have enjoyed the series and have made some plans to try some new things this year! Is "math workshop" a buzzword in your school? Read on and see my thoughts on the topic! Today's final challenge involves asking you to do some reflecting on how you actually organize your math instruction. I am constantly getting ... Read the Post
Thanksgiving Math Workshop!
So often, I get questions like, "What does math workshop look like in your classroom?" and it's always such a tough question to answer--because it changes all the time. So I thought I'd tell you about my plans for a little Thanksgiving math work--and see if you can picture what I'll be doing! Maybe in a month or so I'll do another post and show another "twist" on math workshop ... Read the Post
Rethinking Problem Solving: More Than a Word Problem
For years I have used the phrase "problem solving does not equal word problems", but I love it when I have a real world "math experience" that helps prove this point. Today was one of those days--so I thought I'd share! If you have followed me for any length of time, you may have seen me post about "Mind Boggling Math", a resource I created about three years ago to help provide me students ... Read the Post
Problem Solving Doesn’t Always Mean Word Problems!
I know I talk about problem solving and word problems a TON, but I wanted to share briefly today about possibly "rethinking" the term problem solving a little bit. If we are wanting students to be able to make sense of the mathematical world around them, word problems can certainly help provide "real world" contexts for applying math. My students solve word problems DAILY, and I am a ... Read the Post
Building Multiplication Fact Fluency
OK...it is no secret that I am a HUGE Jo Boaler fan. Huge. Her work with mathematical mindsets and brain research should e required reading for anyone who works with children. That being said, I know that one thing that ALL teachers (and parents) think--especially as we head back to school--is "but they DON'T KNOW THEIR FACTS!" Building fact fluency is so critical, so let's talk about the ... Read the Post
Creating a Climate for a Successful Math Workshop
If you have been following me, you know that I have been doing some Facebook Live videos about some ways to "dip your toe" in to the idea of starting math workshop in your classroom. It does NOT need to be a daunting task and there are plenty of ways to start small! If you haven't seen the first two videos (I'm just figuring out all the lighting and technical details so don't judge!), you ... Read the Post
The Benefits of Spiraling Math Instruction..and a few tips on how to do it!
One thing that always bothered me with many math textbooks and curriculum maps was the idea that math instruction is best done in "blocks"--3 weeks of geometry. 2 weeks of addition. 4 weeks of fractions. You know as well as I do that students need far more repetitions of math concepts that this arrangement allows. That being said--I have no problem with intense units on different math ... Read the Post